The Second Party System Matures 1828-Present 1840-1852
1840 Presidential Election TIPPECANOE AND TYLER TOO Words: Alexander Coffman Ross Melody: Little Pigs Oh, who has heard the great commotion, motion, motion, all the country through? It is the ball a rolling on, Chorus: For Tippecanoe and Tyler too, For Tippecanoe and Tyler too And with them we ll beat little Van, Van, Van is a used up man, and with them we ll beat little Van. Sure, let them talk about hard cider, cider, cider And log cabins too, It will only help to speed the ball (Chorus) Like the rush of mighty waters, waters, waters Onward it will go And its course will bring you through (Chorus) For ROCK-A-BYE BABY, DADDY S A WHIG Words: Anonymous Melody: Rockabye Baby: Adapted by: Oscar Brand Rock-a-bye Baby, Daddy s a Whig When he comes home, hard cider he ll swig When he has swug he ll fall in a stew And down will come Tyler and Tippecanoe Rock-a-Bye Baby, when you awake You will discover Tip is a fake Far from the battle, war cry and drum He sits in his cabin a - drinking that rum Rock-a-bye baby, never you cry You need not fear old Tip and his Ty What they would ruin Van Buren will affix For What qualifications What qualifications
Whigs rolling into town. Party would last for days
Whig Ads
Whig Harrison-Tyler Victory and a majority in both houses of Congress Whig Agenda: Clay s American System Centralized, National bank Small protective tariff (Northern manufac. happy/still provides imports for South) Internal improvements for states by distributing tariff revenues (national appeal) Harrison Dies/Tyler Prez President Tyler shredded their program with repeated vetos 1840 Senator Henry Clay- KY Whig
Tyler vetos Whig banking bill Twice! Entire cabinet resigned Kicked out of Whig Party 1841 I am really a Democrat. No, I am Whig. No, I really don t know?
18 42 Whig s plan to postpone the tariff low mark of 20% mandated in the compromise of 1820 in order to keep up revenues for internal improvements Tyler vetos both tariff bills! Tariff of 1842: Tyler eventually approves this tariff legislation to KEEP GOVT running and keeps some tariffs up and puts some at 20% but abandons distribution to states for improvements (angers Southerners and Westerners who favor them)
Congressional elections Whigs lose majority in the House to Democrats due to failed American System Democrats control the House Whigs control the Senate President????? 18 42 Democrat or Whig Senate House of Rep.
1843-44 Tyler begins propaganda campaign to annex TX (Win with Expansion) Suggested a British conspiracy to secure abolition in America in order to hurt US economy (reveals their plan to protect slavery in America and angers Northerners) Calhoun (Sec. of State) and Tyler draw up secret treaty to annex Texas/ HARD VETOslave issue
Calhoun Polk Jackson Clay
1844 Presidential elections FREE FOR ALL!!! Whigs: go with Henry Clay/VP candidate was a fierce anti- Catholic which swelled Irish votes for democrats/clay seesawed on expansion Democrats: split and deadlock between Cass and Van Buren/nomination goes to Polk Little Hickory ; Polk wins by narrow vote of margin
Polk doesn t win his own state. (3times 2 for gov and 1 for Prez 1844 Election Anti-slave Whigs
Alaska Polk secures treaty with Britain securing Oregon border at 49 54-40 18 46
Dreams of Expansion Fuel Sectional Conflict: T H E M E X I C A N A M E R I C A N W A R
Manifest Destiny John L. Sullivan
1821: Mexican Independence from Spain
First American empressario-stephen F. Austin-founds first American Texas colony Mexico land grants for colonists=3,605 acres!!! Promised to convert to Catholicism and become citizen of Mexico 1822 Stephen F. Austin
1826: Haden Edwards leads American Revolt against Mexican rule 1830: Mexico closes to white settlement and outlaws slave trade 1833: Mexico banned settlement & Austin sent to negotiate/arrested 1836: Texas declares independence and American settlers take cities of Goliad and San Antonio Battles of the Alamo & San Jacinto Santa Anna forced to sign treaty giving independence to Texas
Howdy partner, we be the 28 th and Slave State President James Polk 1837: TX applies for admission to US/DENIED (seeks diplomatic status from Great Britain) 1844: Democrats chose dark horse Polk to run on an expansionist platform 1845: Last act as President Tyler pushes through treaty annexing Texas (28 th state/slave)
US State Capital 1846
White House 1846
1845 Polk sends troops to disputed Texas/Mexico territory under Zachary Taylor Slidell Mission refused Ordered to Pay Texas debt CA & NM $25 Million Mexico Govt too weak 20 different govt in 20 years John Slidell
Taylor doing too good for Polk (threatened) pulls supplies for Scott 18 46 Skirmish breaks out/polk s excuse to ask Congress for war May 13- War is declared Whigs afraid of pulling a Federalist no major protest American blood shed on American Soil Two young captians gain recognition: Lee & Grant
Mexican American War 1847: Taylor defeats Santa Anna at Buena Vista and Scott takes Mexico City
18 48 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo cedes what will become CA/NM/AZ/UT/NV/CO (Polk wanted all of Mexico) (2 nd 11/19/12)
Politically Divisive War: Whigs call it Mr. Polk s War and raise questions of its legitimacy; accuse Southern democrats of a plot to extend and perpetuate slavery and so EXPANSIONIST DREAMS FUELED SECTIONAL CONFLICT 13, 000 AMERICANS DEAD 50,000 MEXICANS (CIVILIANS AND SOLDIERS) COST: $97 MILLION
First ever war correspondents: used telegraph and penny press to sensationalize US victories (Taylor and Scott: military heroes who latter run for president)
The Sectional Divide Widens
18 46 Wilmot proviso: forbids slavery in lands ceded by Mexico TX slave to satisfy southerners CA and NM free to satisfy northerners and immigrants (the wage war labor force) Proviso locked up in Congress and threatened to divide both parties along sectional lines Divided Whigs/Democrats (Northern Whigs & Democrats) (Southern Whigs & Democrats) Congr. David Wilmot (D-PA) BIG ISSUE: DOES CONGRESS HAVE A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO PROHIBIT SLAVERY IN NEWLY ACQUIRED TERRITORIES?
BIG ISSUE: DOES CONGRESS HAVE A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO PROHIBIT SLAVERY IN NEWLY ACQUIRED TERRITORIES? Southerners? No slaves are property that is protected by the Constitution According to Calhoun, Missouri Comp unconstitutional Northerners? Yes Congress is granted the power to legislate for all territories or property of the US (Ex: Ordinance of 1787)
1848 Whigs choose Zachary Taylor as Presidential candidate Slaveholder Not associated with failed Whig programs War hero Above sectional politics
1848 Democrats choose Lewis Cass (Polk declined a second term/health) Cass sidesteps issue of territorial slavery by suggesting popular sovereignty : the people within the territory should decide the slave issue, not Congress! (Nice and vague )
1848 Freesoilers choose Van Buren; abolition platform Play upset candidate Freesoilers/Liberty Party Antislave/Antiblack???
Taylor wins Presidency but significant votes for Freesoil party send a warning of things to come!! Above sectionalism politics Popular Sovereignty
Gold in California! 9 days before signing of Guadalupe-Hidalgo!!! In one year 100,000 pour into lawless lands Unstable California agitates for territorial status and shows signs of establishing an independent state! 1849 GOLD! At Sutter s Mill, 1848 John A. Sutter
49er s
Taylor s first order of business will be settling the issue of slavery in the Mexican session
America s war with Mexico was an unprovoked and unjustifiable war of aggression and territorial expansion. Assess (true or false) the validity of this statement, using the documents, as well as your knowledge (including ids) of the diplomatic history of the years from 1836-1846.